Winter Olympic teams receive 'terror threats' ahead of Sochi Games

UNDER THREAT: Two police officers on patrol around Sochi as the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics draws near [REUTERS]

Britain, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia have all received threats as the international showpiece draws closer.

Reportedly the messages warned the nations' Olympic committees their athletes or officials may be attacked if they travel to the Black Sea resort in southern Russia.

Both the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have described the email threat as "not credible".

Security at the Sochi Games, which begin on February 7, is at an unprecedented level with Russian President Vladimir Putin's legacy at stake.

'BLACK WIDOW: Ruzanna Ibragimova is being hunted after security officials revealed she may be planning an attack [AP]

Estimates suggest that nearly £50bn has been spent on the Winter Olympics making them the most expensive Games in history.

Over 30,000 Russian security forces and police are in Sochi with fighter jets and anti-aircraft missiles also on standby.

Suicide bombers killed 34 people in the nearby city of Volgograd last month and Islamist militants have threatened to launch similar attacks at Sochi.

COST: The Sochi Olympics are the most expensive in history at an estimated cost of £50bn [REUTERS]

Despite the alarm, Zsigmond Nagy, director of international relations at the Hungarian Olympic Committee, said: "I am very pleased to inform everyone that both the IOC and the Sochi organising committee declared after the analysis of the letter that this threat is not real."

Apparently the threatening letters were sent by someone living outside Russia and they have carried out similar hoaxes before.

Both Russia and the IOC are adamant the Games will pass off without incident although on Tuesday it was confirmed the US will station two warships in the Black Sea in case they are forced to evacuate their delegates.

ASSURANCE: Vladimir Putin has insisted that the Games will pass off without incident [REUTERS]

“Over 30,000 Russian security forces and police are in Sochi with fighter jets and anti-aircraft missiles also on standby”

In Sochi, which plans to host hundreds of thousands of visitors during the Games, security forces are searching for a woman called Ruzanna Ibragimova, 23, who they suspect may be planning a suicide attack.

She may have arrived in the Olympic host city in early January, a letter seen by Reuters revealed.

TERROR: Security fears were heightened after last month's terror attacks in Volgograd [GETTY]

STANDBY: Two US warships will be on standby if the American's in Sochi need to be evacuated [GETTY]

"(She) may be used as a terrorist-suicide bomber by (insurgency) leaders to organise terrorist acts during preparations for and during the 2014 Winter Olympics," read the letter, asking police to look immediately into the matter.

The letter from Russia's Federal Security Services to local police said she was the widow of a slain Islamist militant and is believed to have recently left her home in Dagestan, in the turbulent, mainly Muslim North Caucasus.